A Matter Of Destiny II: James's Story
by Sakura Bloom
Summary: Anguished by the death of Jessie, James would do anything to change what had happened and it seems he gets his chance when a mysterious young woman appears...


"A Matter Of Destiny II: James's Story"

**A Matter Of Destiny II: James's Story**  
_by Laura Kamida_  
**Rated PG for Language**  
  


He hadn't stop running until the sun went down that day. His athletic body carried him from that horrible warehouse as fast as his legs could carry him. Away from that gun. Away from Team Rocket. Away from love. Away from death. Away from the death of a love that hadn't yet been born.  
  
The death of Jessie.  
  
He couldn't get the mental picture out of his head of Jessie, laying weakly in his arms, dying, with thick, red blood oozing from her wound, her face drained of its vibrant color, and her eyelids fluttering to eternal sleep.  
  
His Jessie was dead. And he had never gotten the chance to even tell her how he was feeling about her.  
  
When the sun set and it had gotten dark, he finally stopped on the side of the road. Every day for several days was like this. It was so incredibly lonely on the road without Jessie. Meowth had long ago left Team Rocket, settling down and finding a trainer that utilized his awesome powers of speech and fighting upright. Jessie and James had never appreciated him, but James really missed his companionship now. He and Jessie had been travelling together, hovering so close to love but never falling. At least, she never did.  
  
He mulled over everything that had happened in those 24 hours three days ago. First, he and Jessie had been called from the Boss to meet him at the local airport. Then they were to show him where Misty and her companions had been hiding out. They were puzzled, because they thought that the kids and their Pokemon were only of intrest to them, not to their boss. Then, they had watched in amazed surprise as the twerps had offed 6 of the Boss's best officers. Then, when they had confronted the twerp trio, Jessie had been shot. And everything from then on was a blur.  
  
James wondered why he and Jessie had been called by the Boss to help. If they had not been there, Jessie would not have been shot. As he wondered about what could have been -- he saw _her._  
  
A bright light shone from the roadway where James had been running not so long ago. It stunned him, and his eyes stared unblinkingly into the bright light. It formed slowly into a feminine shape, and he hoped against hope that it was Jessie, somehow coming back to him from Heaven. But it was not. The form belonged to a girl that looked about as old as him. She stared at him with green eyes, green eyes that he himself possessed. Her long, black hair cascaded over her shoulders elegantly, and she was stunning.  
  
"James," she said.  
  
"Who -- who are you? How did you -- !?" he stammered.  
  
She smiled mischevously, and the smile was so familiar -- like James was suffering from strange deja vu. "My name..." she began, drawing out the suspense --  
  
"...is Annabelle."  
  
_**~~THE NEXT MORNING~~**_ "So you can travel through time?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And you are... _were_ going to marry the twerp -- er, Ash. And then..."  
  
"Giovanni escaped from jail and used a time travel device -- a skater, as they're called -- to come back and destroy Ms. Waterflower. I sent a baby Ash back to save her. But, he didn't have the memories about me that I should have left him with... I assumed that growing up in this world would make him less conspicuous... and that worked -- but it made him forget about me and fall in love with Ms. Waterflower. I came back to retrieve him and bring him back to my time, but there was no way to get him back. I initiated the skater and Ash destroyed so he could stay in this time. The skater I had before was a gift to me, and it took me 3 years to make a new one. And now, with you're help... I am determined to --"  
  
"Get him back."  
  
She smiled again. It was a dangerous smile. A smile that could be warped to look innocent and sweet, and could hide her true, cunning, dangerous potential. But this was not meant to hide her conniving self. "Precisely."  
  
"What's in it for me?" James asked suspiciously.  
  
"I know what you want," she said. She stared at him, right into his eyes, burning into him, her shrewd mind playing games with his. "You want what you lost. You want Jessie back."  
  
His eyes widened as the implications of time travel hit him. "That's _right_!!! You're a time traveler! You can use your skater and go back in time to make sure that the Boss doesn't kill her! You could... concievably... go back in time and change anything... You could make yourself invincible..." His eyes glittered evilly. His brain secretly plotted to steal that skater from the chain on her neck.  
  
"_No_!" she said firmly. "Do you know how dangerous it is to tamper with destiny!? I learned my lesson in saving Ms. Waterflower. I am only doing this to rectify the destiny that Ash, Ms. Waterflower, and I changed. And, since Jessie being killed was involved in my saving Ms. Waterflower... then repairing destiny would include saving her life..."  
  
James nodded, although still determined to get that skater. "You're right. So if I help you get your twerp back, you'll bring Jessie back for me?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well then, what are we waiting for?"  
  
Annabelle licked her lips. "Perfect."  
  
_**~~THAT AFTERNOON~~**_  
  
Annabelle inhaled deeply as she sailed through the air on her Fearow. Pallet Town was just below, and that's where Ash and Misty were. She watched as below, James galloped along on her Rapidash. She swooped down over James. "Slow down, all right? I'll go survey the town to see where Ash and Misty are."  
  
She had tried to bring Ash back to their own time by reminding him of their love. But obviously, he only remembered being with her. He didn't remember his actual love. In the years that Annabelle had fumed over her defeat, she had realized that it was all her fault -- your personality and who you fell in love with was directly related to where and how you grew up. This was her mistake.  
  
In the back of her mind, Annabelle knew that she shouldn't tamper with this... Ash was in love with Misty, and it was her own fault. But she refused to give up... She still loved Ash, and she deserved true love more than anyone. Misty should have just given Ash back to her -- she did save her life, after all!  
  
The park -- that's where they were. Annabelle flew back to James and signalled him to come forward. She recalled Fearow and Rapidash and they crept into the bushes at the park.  
  
There they were... so cute and in love. Annabelle scowled. It should be her sitting there with Ash in the soft grass, kissing and watching the clouds go by. But her face softened into one of her sinister smiles. It _would_ be the two of them soon. If everything went according to the plan.  
  
"You know the plan?" Annabelle whispered.  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Then, let's go."  
  
Annabelle leaped over the bush and appeared in front of the couple. Both Ash and Misty got looks of shock on their face. Misty gasped.  
  
"A -- A -- Annabelle!" Ash stammered.  
  
She smiled sweetly and innocently. "That's right, my love. I came back for you!"  
  
"I thought I told you I didn't want to come back, and I don't have to!" he said, standing up. Misty also stood up, poised to attack. _Defend, actually,_ Annabelle noted.  
  
A mock look of concern washed over her face. "You must come back, Ash... You see, since Giovanni is dead, there is no Team Rocket left, and an even worse crime organization surfaced." They appeared to buy it, so she continued spinning her lies. "And, evidently, because you settled down with Ms. Waterflower... she didn't appear on the scene to destroy them. In fact... I couldn't find any records of you anywhere. So, you see, I must take you back. It's the only way." In truth, the world had been even more peaceful since the time travel theory had come along. All officers had to do was threaten to wipe out criminals forever... and only they had the technology to do it. Annabelle had been lucky to get her first skater, and even smarter to figure out how it worked. She took a moment to contemplate herself. Luck, beauty, and intelligence: how could Ash abandon her?  
  
"It doesn't concern me. And I'm not going with you."  
  
"Yeah. Go fight your own battles," Misty spat. "The whole world shouldn't have to depend on two people being torn apart. You just want him for yourself."  
  
"Well, I _do_ want him back..." she admitted. "But the world does lie in your hands."  
  
"Too bad," Ash said.  
  
"Well, it looks like he's refusing to go!" Annabelle yelled.  
  
"Who are you talk -- ?" Misty began, but James cut her off by jumping onto the scene.  
  
"Take him!" Annabelle yelled, and grabbed Misty into a headlock with incredible speed. James took a hold of Ash and carried him away. "Stay here. I will be back shortly. I have to have a talk with Ms. Waterflower."  
  
She pulled Misty out of the park and dragged her off, and eventually into the forest that surrounded the small town of Pallet. She shoved her down to the ground roughly.  
  
"I'm getting really tired of you," Annabelle spat.  
  
"Believe me, the feeling's mutual," Misty spat back, standing up and dusting herself off.  
  
"I'm taking Ash back with me, and that's final. You cannot oppose me."  
  
"Just hide and watch, you obsessive bitch," Misty mumbled. "I don't understand. When I first met you, you seemed... so innocent. Like you were just someone who did the wrong thing."  
  
"Well, I'm not so innocent after all, am I? None of us are. I can seem to be many things. Which makes me much more powerful than you."  
  
"Why can't you just let Ash go? He obviously doesn't love you. He loves me. And I love him. Which is more than your 'relationship' with him. You've got to just let him go. You're obsessing! We deserve to be happy. So why can't you just let us?"  
  
"I could ask you the same thing! Why do you keep him for yourself? Don't I deserve to be happy too?"  
  
"Find someone in your own time."  
  
"He _is_ my time. You should find someone in _your_ own time. I'm taking him back with me to repair what you two have destroyed."  
  
"Not if I get to the park first!" Misty took off, sprinting back toward the park.  
  
"_BITCH_!" Annabelle screamed, running after her. "Ugh... I oughtta go back and destroy whoever invented high heels," she muttered, kicking off her shoes.  
  
~*~  
  
"Why are you helping her!?" Ash yelled at James. "How could you!? It's her fault that Jessie is dead!" He twisted his wrists within the ropes they were tied with, and shifted his weight between his feet.  
  
James furrowed his eyebrows and tried to comprehend the point that Ash had made. "It doesn't matter," he finally said. "All that matters is that she's going back to get Jessie for me if I help her get you back."  
  
"Ohhh... I see. So destroying what I have with Misty is going to get you back Jessie? And that's fair?" Ash stared into his eyes. Even though he was James's prisoner for the moment, with all the good points he was making, perhaps he could win him over.  
  
"What you have with Misty killed Jessie. If Annabelle hadn't sent you back, she never would have died. Annabelle's bringing Jessie back and taking you away to repair destiny."  
  
"You're going to trust _her_!? It's her fault all of this happened." The realization really hit him. Everything that had happened his whole life in Pallet, and on his journey, it had all been what Annabelle had created. It wasn't really real.  
  
The silence that descended upon the two as they both pondered all that Annabelle, young and stupid, had done, broke suddenly as Misty appeared on the scene.  
  
"_LET HIM GO_!" she shrieked. "Ash, we've gotta get outta here!"  
  
James stood, unsure what to do, going back and forth in his mind between getting Jessie back and leaving things, however ruined, the way they were.  
  
"Misty look -- !" Ash yelled.  
  
But it was too late. Annabelle had appeared out of nowhere and attacked Misty from behind. Misty fell to an unconcious heap on the ground. Annabelle smiled triumphantly.  
  
"This is where it ends, Misty Waterflower. Final score: Annabelle: 1, Misty: 0." She sauntered over to where Ash was standing and kissed him on the lips. He pulled away from her. She shrugged and, about to activate her skater, said, "It doesn't matter how you feel. We're going back this time." But as her free hand (the other was on Ash's shoulder so he would be taken with her across time) reached up to activate the skater, it was smacked down.  
  
Annabelle turned until her eyes met with James's.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry James! Thank you very much for helping me. I couldn't have gotten Ash back without you. I'll be seeing you again in the future, too, so remember me!"  
  
"You're forgetting something. You promised to bring Jessie back to me."  
  
"Oh, *thaaat!*" She smiled again. A smile... of betrayal. "I'm sorry, James, I just can't do that... for one simple reason." Her green eyes glittered evilly. "If you are with Jessie, then I will never be born... _Daddy._"  
  
James's jaw dropped. Ash followed suit. "D - D - Daddy?" James stuttered.  
  
"That's right! Gee, I thought you were smarter than that! I thought you would have figured it out. I'm your daughter. And Jessie is _not_ my mother. You see, if I brought Jessie back, and you two fell in love, like I'm sure you would want to, and got married, well, then I will have never been born. So, until I am born, adieu! Ta-ta!" She winked.  
  
"That's it. I'm tired of your treachery. No one like you should be able to be in charge of a power like time travel," James said, lunging forward. Ash wasn't sure what he was going to do until he saw the blade, like a flash of light, sinking deep into the young girl's chest.  
  
Annabelle's eyes widened. She stared into James's eyes. Her own eyes. "Daddy!?" she gulped. She looked down at her wound, and fell to her knees. "How -- How could you!?" Tears formed in her eyes. "I'm your little girl! And I never did anything wrong! Save me, Daddy... please!" She coughed once, and slumped forward, perishing.  
  
Ash stared at James. "I-I couldn't deal with it anymore..." he explained shakily, untying Ash's arms. "I don't think she really realized the magnitude of what she did when she messed with time. And even though she tried to fix things, it was for the wrong reasons. Even though she was my daughter... I couldn't bear to think about what she was capable of." Ash was silently moved by the tears gathering in James's eyes.  
  
"We should destroy that," Ash said, pulling the skater off of Annabelle's neck.  
  
"One last thing. I have to get Jessie."  
  
"Do you really thing that's a good idea? Annabelle is a prime example of why using time travel to get what you want is _not_ the right thing to do. It just screws everything up more."  
  
"You heard her, Ash. If I don't get Jessie back... then guess who will be born again..." James activated the skater with a shrug and he started to disappear.  
  
Ash suddenly remembered. _Misty!_ He ran over to her side and desperately tried to revive her. "Oh, Misty, I'm so sorry!" He shook her shoulders and tried to wake her up.  
  
She finally woke up. "Ash?" she said weakly. Just in time, it seemed. A bright light suddenly flooded the clearing, brighter than the sun even, where they sat. She stared at the light. "What's going on?"  
  
"I think --" he started, watching as Annabelle's body slowly started to disappear, "that James fulfilled his own destiny."  
  
Sure enough, two forms materialized out of the light. And they were attatched in an embrace of love. Jessie and James colorized in a passionate kiss.  
  
"Yeah..." Misty said quietly. "Where were we?" She grinned and pulled Ash into their own ardent kiss.  
  
James slowly pulled his lips away from Jessie's. She smiled, and he smiled, and their faces were so wonderfully close, he knew that there would never be another moment as memorable as this. He had destroyed a part of time, part of the future, to be with her.  
  
Both couples tightened their arms around each other, as if to hold on forever, to never let anything come between them again.  
  
And nothing did. And, I mean it this time. 


End file.
